Graduate Admissions Information

Application Information
Contact Information
Deadlines
UCSD Graduate Application Website

Admission to UCSD's graduate program in Biological Sciences is highly competitive with only 30-40 students who join the doctoral program each year. Each year, new students are admitted for Fall quarter only. We welcome as applicants students of exceptional achievement and from diverse backgrounds.

Pre-Application Information (International Applicants Only)
International students (except students applying for the Computational Neurobiology program) interested in applying for admission must first complete our Pre-Application. This form is a required preliminary step in the admissions process. The Admissions Committee will not review the full application unless a pre-application is on record as having been reviewed.

To obtain the Pre-Application, please choose one of the following options:

  • Print the HTML version of the Pre-Application. Please print or type the information clearly and mail or fax it to the Biology Admissions Office. The address and Fax number are listed at the top of the form.
  • Print the PDF version of the Pre-Application. Please print or type the information clearly and mail or fax it to the Biology Admissions Office. The address and Fax number are listed at the top of the form. (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
  • E-mail the Biology Student Affairs Office with your complete name and mailing address, and upon receipt of your request, we will mail you the Pre-Application form. If you would like the form sent as an e-mail attachment in MS Word format, please indicate the appropriate e-mail address.

Application Information

Applications are evaluated by the Admissions Committee (which is comprised of representatives from both the faculty and graduate students) December through February. The Admissions Committee evaluates applicants based on their past academic performance. Important factors in the evaluation of an application include: the nature and quality of the undergraduate course program that the student has undertaken, previous laboratory and/or field research experience, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and scores on the Graduate Record Exam. Adequate preparation in the physical sciences and mathematics is also a very important consideration.

In addition to the application forms, we also require the following documents: (a) a copy of your Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores, (b) three letters of recommendation and, (c) a copy of your most recent academic transcript(s). Please note that the general GRE test is required while the subject test is recommended . For Fall 2009 admission, you must take the GRE before the end of November, 2008 or your test scores will not be received in time for review by the Admissions Committee. If you are an international student and English is not your native language, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Applications are processed in order of their completion. Screening of applications will begin in early December. It is recommended that applicants submit their application well before the deadline to be considered for on-campus interviews. Typical causes of delayed consideration include missing GRE scores, letters of reference, and transcripts. It is particularly important for foreign applicants to complete their application well before the deadline, as it has been our experience that delays in processing their applications seriously limit the financial aid the applicant can hope to obtain.

Selected applicants are invited to visit the campus and participate in faculty interviews in February. The interviews consist of meetings with both faculty and graduate students, as well as the opportunity to visit the UCSD campus and the surrounding research community. Based on the results of the interviews, offers of admission will commence in March. All applicants will be notified of the Division's decision no later than April 15. Again, we urge you to complete your application well in advance of the December 14 deadline.

To apply to the doctoral program in Biology, please use the on-line UCSD Application for Graduate Admission. UCSD utilizes a Web-based application to apply for graduate study. You may work on your application a bit at a time, and then submit it once it is complete. The site is secure, and your application information and credit card payment will remain confidential.

Contact Information

For pre-applications and additional information, please call or write Biology Student Affairs at the address and phone number listed below:

Admissions Committee
Division of Biological Sciences, 0348
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla CA 92093-0348
(858) 534-8983
gradprog@biology.ucsd.edu

Richness through Diversity

We enthusiastically welcome applications from students with culturally diverse backgrounds. We believe that the richness of a graduate program is increased by an ethnically broad student population.

It is our goal to ensure that all admitted graduate students thrive and succeed in the exciting scientific community of UCSD's Division of Biological Sciences. To this end, our program assists and supports graduate students in a variety of ways. For example, faculty mentors interact with the incoming students to smooth the transition into graduate school. Also, we work closely with the Office of Graduate Studies and Research (OGSR) and other University departments to create and maintain a greater sense of the campus community.

Application Deadlines

Graduate Admission (Fall 2009):
December 14, 2008

TOEFL and Graduate Record Examinations should be taken no later than November, 2008.

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